Team Ramen
by In Darkness Is Light
Summary: It is while Rin is eating with him, that Obito makes an interesting comparison. Hints of ObiRin . Please read and review.


**AN:** I really wanted to try my hand at an Obito/Rin when this curious little idea. I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out and hopefully, you, the readers will be as well. Like always, please feel free to leave long and detailed reviews filled with wondrous, glorious constructive crit!

Disclaimer: I do _not_ own Naruto.

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It was a cool autumn's day, the coloured leaves littering the streets of Konoha and everyone around could be seen with a scarf or some piece of winter attire. The pair of Uchiha Obito and Inuzuka Rin being no exception to the rule.

The two were currently walking at a brisk pace towards Ichiraku's Ramen Stand, hoping that the warm meal would heat their cold hands and bodies. Promptly arriving, they seated themselves quickly in the empty stand and ordered their favourites: Rin had Hakata Ramen and Obito had Miso Pork Ramen. The middle-aged man operating the stand smiled at their familiar faces before rapidly setting off to preparing their dishes. As the steaming hot plates of noodle-y goodness were placed in front of the two cold, hungry and tired teens, their eyes lit up and they began devouring their meals.

Halfway through his miso ramen, Obito turned to Rin and said, "Ramen is like a team."

Puzzled by this comparison, as it was rather odd coming to be coming from the boy beside her, she asked, "How'd you get that?"

"Well," Obito eagerly explained his idea, "there are many elements to ramen but none of them would be that good on their own. For example, I love the noodles," he paused to slurp a few up, "but I couldn't eat just the noodles, that'd be pretty disgusting. On their own, each element isn't that good but together, they work to form a complete and delicious meal. It's just like a team; individually they may be ok but they're probably pretty shabby and yet, when you put the whole team together, they work to form an effective, intelligent group of people or foods: they're complete. When you put the team together, they give you a much better result than if you kept them apart."

Rin smiled back at the boy, nodding. "That was a pretty good comparison."

"And here's another thing. Once you separate one member of the team from the rest, the team starts to crumble, being less and less complete and the one that got separated? It's easier for them to be picked off by a bigger enemy, in this case, me," he told her, picking up a piece of pork. "The team needs each other to survive and if one part goes missing, they're no longer a full team anymore."

"I see. Huh," she giggled, "I never knew ramen could be this deep!"

"You betcha!" he grinned, twisting a bean sprout in his chopsticks. "Let's say, for example, that this bean sprout is Kakashi."

Rin's eyebrows arched in a questioning manner and her mouth twitched in a mix between amusement and disapproval at Obito's comparing Kakashi to a round, strange vegetable.

"Sure it's the most hated of all the elements in the ramen," he dodged a hit from Rin, "but if you take even the bean sprout away, suddenly the rest of the team is incomplete; they need that despised bean sprout because it completed not only the pork, but also the noodles and broth as well. When the bean sprout's gone, suddenly the team realizes that they shouldn't despise it because they recognize they're not whole without it!"

Rin was very pleased with his complete comparison, believing it to be very thoughtful. His ideas certainly were essential for someone on a team. Had she been out here with Kakashi eating ramen – a thought that made her cheeks tinge pink – he probably would not have even thought about such a relation.

After all, teams and ramen are two separate things; how can you possibly compare them? That would have been his logic and maybe that's why Obito saw these little things that he didn't: because a lot of what Obito did, a lot of who Obito was, was illogical.

Obito was the complete opposite of every Uchiha she had met thus far, something of which she was immensely happy for. The Uchiha's she'd had the pleasure, or rather, displeasure of meeting had all been arrogant and self-absorbed, hardly being able to even begin to comprehend what the meaning of a team was. Sometimes, she guiltily wondered if maybe Kakashi would have been a better fit for a clan like the Uchiha.

Upon yet again concluding that such a thing could not be possible, she reverted her mind back to the present moment she was in and flashed a grin at Obito, eyes full of sincere pride. "That was a really thoughtful thing to say," she praised. "I doubt anyone but you has come up with something like that but it's really good. I agree entirely."

At her kind words, Obito's eyes lit up entirely, making the lighting in the stand seem very dim all of a sudden. "Thanks Rin-chan!" he chimed. "Glad you liked it!" His face turned serious for a moment. "I meant what I said though. You really do need every element to form a team; you really do need every person."

"Even Kakashi?" Rin piped in, half-jokingly.

At this, Obito grumbled something under his breath and rolled his eyes. "Even Kakashi," he begrudgingly admitted.

Suddenly, Rin lifted her hand and began to get excited. "You know how sensei told us to think of a team name?"

"Yeah!" Rin could tell that he was getting excited too.

"Well, how about we name our team, Team Ramen?!"

"Team Ramen?" he tried the name out on his tongue. "I like it! Good idea Rin-chan!"

"What should they be though? I mean, you've already dubbed Kakashi as a bean sprout but what are the rest of the team?"

"Well, I was thinking that sensei should be broth," Obito said thoughtfully, "Because he kind of supports us and is the essential base of the team."

Rin nodded in agreement. "And well, all that's left is the pork and the noodles, you and me."

"Who's who?" she inquired and gave it a thought herself. "Maybe you should be the noodles Obito because they're a bright and happy colour and even though the noodles are pretty loosey-goosey, they kind of keep the team together."

"I'd say that you keep the team together more Rin-chan. If not for you intervening, Kakashi and I probably would have gotten into a big fight and parted ways ages ago. And you're bright and happy too. I'd say that I'm the pork because I absorb a little bit out of everything to get my flavour. Like I get all my ideas from you guys and combine all your ideas to form my own. Besides, remember what I said about the noodles? I love the noodles, so it's only fitting that you're the noodles Rin-chan!" he flashed her yet another grin, winking.

Rin gave a heart-warming laugh at his rationale and was surprised when she began to feel her face heat up a little. She was laughing not only at what Obito had said but she laughed at the moment, the discussion they were having. They had just dubbed their team after a hot dish and had even gone as far as labelling them as independent foods.

"Well, I'd say we've come up with a pretty good idea!" she concluded.

"Yup! Great minds left separately are great but great minds put together are greater!"

"Do you think sensei will like it though?" she asked while paying for her food and standing up.

"I'm sure he will! Sensei likes anything to do with ramen!" Obito assured her, standing up and paying for his food as well.

Together the pair walked back in the direction of their homes. "Do you think Kakashi will like it?" Rin asked again.

"Oh!" Obito groaned. "Who cares if Kakashi likes it?! Kakashi never likes anything!"

"He'll like it," Rin decided.

"He'd better!" Obito agreed, waving a hand threateningly to demonstrate what would happen to Kakashi if he didn't like their idea.

A few minutes went by before the two reached the front steps of Rin's home. Before going in, Rin thanked him for the meal and the company and expressed her wish to go again soon. Obito just smiled and told her that he'd be more than happy to go more often to places with her. As per usual, she thanked him for his compliment and gave him a friendly hug then watched him walk off until he turned the corner. When she went inside and was met with her family after her lunches with Obito, she was always smiling and radiating positive energy, which made the rest of them suspect that it was Obito she had a crush on and not Kakashi.

When she though about it, the only negative feeling she had coming back home after seeing Obito was the gnawing of her stomach acids on her insides; minus that, she was always very cheerful and in an optimistic mood.

It was funny how she could get sick of ramen but she could never get sick of Obito.

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**AN:** And that's it folks! Did you enjoy it? Did you not? Did you feel like chucking me out a window or hugging me? Won't know until you guys let me! 


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